when ye go to feek light in particular cafes, be ready to fall in with what shall be found the Lord's mind, in fingleness of heart.

3. As the fountain of your ftrength for duty, 2 Tim. . . Thou therefore, my fon, be strong in the grace that is in Chrift Fefus. Ye have great work to work, falvation and generation work;. and ye have a great journey to go. It will not be your weak hands that will work the work; nor your feeble knees that will make the journey, Cant. viii. 5. Cleave to him and hang on him, like a weak woman on her husband in difficult way. And never reckon on any strength, but what is in the fountain, be the work more eafy or difficult, If. xl. 30. 31. Even the youths fhail faint and be weary, and the young men ball utterly fail. But they that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength : they fball mount up with wings as eagles, they fball run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.

4. As the spring of your fruitfulness, John xv. 4. Abide in me, and I in you, As the branch cannot bear fruit of itfelf, except it abide in the vine: no more can ye, except ye abide in me. Ye must set yourselves to the practice of holiness, without which no man can fee the Lord, and bring forth good works in your life and converfation, as ye would not write yourfelves feparate from Chrift. But to hammer them out of your own faithlefs endeavours, is to withdraw yourselves from Chrift, and to act as standing on a foot of your own, and not as branches in Chrift.

5. As the only ground of your acceptance with God, Eph. i. 6. Col. iii. 17. A pair of turtle-doves might be accepted on the altar at Jerufalem, while an ox was an abomination on the altar at Bethel. To. measure your acceptance with God, by the quantity or quality of your duties, what they have coft you one way or other; and not according to the fhare you have in the Redeemer's blood, is not cleaving to

Christ, but departing from him. The believer has no confidence in the flesh, Phil. iii. 3.

Lastly, As the reft and the only reft of your fouls, Heb. iv. 3. Matth. xi. 28. Ye ball find rest; reft to your confciences, which ye are feeking, but cannot get in the law; reft to your hearts, which ye are feeking, but cannot get in the empty creation. Well, take up the twofold reft in him, and hold there. Go not gadding about to feek them any where elfe but in him. Go not back to the law as a covenant of works, nor to the vain world.

Secondly, Cleave to him in all; for he is altogether and always lovely. And cleave to him,

1. In all that bears his ftamp as his own. cleave,

And ift, To his truths, delivered to us in his holy wordy Prov. xxiii. 23. Buy the truth, and fell it not. Acquaint yourselves with them, by the ftudy of the holy fcriptures, our Confeffion of faith and Catechifms. There is much need for it in these our reeling times. As to the purity of the gospel-doctrine, cleave to it with the greater care, that man's corrupt nature is fuch an enemy to it. The gospel was no fooner published in paradise, but an angel with a flaming sword behoved to be fet to keep Adam from running back to the law as a covenant of works for life, Gen. iii. 22. And no less than the fight of the flaming sword will keep any of us back from it yet, if not in principle, yet in practice.

2dly, To his law as the rule of your life, in all the duties of holiness, John xv. 14. Beware of making exception of the least of them, Matth. v.. 19. Cleave to him in firft-table duties of piety towards God, external and internal; in fecond-table duties of justice and mercy towards your neighbours. It will be in vain to call Chrift Lord, if ye do not the things which he commands.

3dly, To his ordinances and inftitutions, public, private, and fecret. They are the wells of falvation

in

in this weary wilderness, which the travellers cannot want. The ordinances of worship, difcipline, and government, as well as purity of doctrine, being the Lord's own inftitutions,, are to be cleaved to, Acts ii. 42.

4thly, To his people following him, and to his interefts in the world, 1 John ii. 19. Ye muft take your lot with them in this world, if ye would have your lot with them in the other world. A companion of fools fhall be deftroyed. If ye mind for heaven, be companions of those who are travelling thither; and think not to live with the wicked, and die with the righteous. That was Balaam's wifh, but he fell short of his wifh, Numb. xxxi. 8.

2. In all times, conditions, and circumstances, Pfal. cxix. 112. This is the law of the fpiritual marriage, that one cleave to Chrift the Lord and Husband always unto the end. Particularly,

ift, Cleave to him in an hour of temptation, which ye may be fure ye will meet with, 1 Pet. v. 8. 9. As ye are joined to the Lord, deny the renewed fuits of ungodliness and worldly lufts. When temptation comes, know ye are on your trials, to prove whether ye will cleave to Chrift or not.

you

2dly, Cleave to him on all hazards, Pfal. xliv. 17. And let not the cross of Christ scare from following of him. Lay your account with troubles public and private, as the Lord may fee meet to tryst you, but withal that nothing shall separate you from him. For motives, confider,

1. The vows of God are upon you to cleave to Chrift. Our land is under the bond of a national covenant, and the three nations are under the bond of a folemn league and covenant, to cleave to the Lord, however these bonds are little regarded in our day. Ye alfo are under facramental bonds, to cleave to him. Let the confcience of all these move you to cleave to him; and venture not to fay, concerning

the

the Lord and his Chrift, as Pfal. ii. 3. Let us break their bands afunder, and caft away their cords from

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2. It is a backfliding time in which we live; ini. quity abounds, and the love of many is waxing cold. The more need ye have to take heed. Chrift is faying to you, Will ye alfo go away? John vi. 67.

3. Your fafety and welfare in the world depends entirely upon your cleaving to Chrift. Hold by him, and ye are fafe. Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 1 Pet. iii. 13, Quit him or his way, and ye fhall certainly fall in the ditch, however ficker ye may imagine yourselves; He that walketh uprightly, walketh furely, Prov. x. 9. This world is a wildernefs; cleave to him, as ever ye would get fafe through.

4. Lastly, It is not they that fet fair off, but those that endure to the end that shall be faved, Matth. xxiv, 13. Apoftafy will bring a man to eternal ruin, Heb. x. 38. but those who are faithful to the death shall receive a crown of life, Rev. ii. 10.

FINI S.

H.M.

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